Railway and like sleeper



April 25, 1933. A. H. HARVEY RAILWAY AND LIKE SLEEPER Filed Oct. 18, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l April 25, 1933. H HARVEY 1,906,006

RAILWAY AND LIKE SLEEPER Filed oct. 18, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 25, 1933.

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 18, 1950 April 25, 1933. H, HARVEY 1,906,006

RAILWAY AND LIKE SLEEPER Filed Oct. 18, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR HOUNSELL HARVEY, 0F EBBW VALE, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE EBBW VALE STEEL IRON & COALL COMPANY LIMITED, 0]? EBBW VALE, ENG- LAND, A COMPANY OF GREAT BRITAIN RAILWAY AND LIKE SLEEPER Application filed October 18, 1930, Seria1 No. 489,649, and in Great Britain October 25, 1929.

" tegral chairs and in those countries. where pressed steel sleepers have been put into use, it has been the custom, so far as I am aware, to use clip devices or spec1al bolts or Washers designed to grip the bottom flange of the rails which have been fiatbottomed. V

The object of the present invention is to provide improved constructions of pressed metal sleepers comprising integral chair formations, which sleepers may be free from holes of any description, are designed to meet the modern requirements of fast or heavy trafiic without having excessive weight and are capable of being produced in simple and economical manner.

According to this invention, a pressed metal sleeper is provided having a body of inverted trough section which is formed integrally with rail-chair devices comprising hollowed chair jaws or lugs pressed upwardly above the top surface of said body Without necessity for perforating the latter, and with bulged or undulated sides, or a combination of such bulged or undulated sides and upwardly and downwardly undulated base edge, in the region of the chair devices. In forming integral chair jaws in pressed-steel sleepers it is advantageous to start with a transverse corrugating of the sleeper blank and to work up the jaws from the corrugations. This and the undulated side and base edge construction of the sleeper provides material for the formation of the chair jaws without excessive thinning of 5a the material in the jaws and without undue surplus of material along the sides of the sleeper adjacent the chair jaws. The .undulations in conjunction with the corrugations provide material for the formation of chair jaws of great strength,-and the side bulges also provide means whereby any surplus material which may be pressed or pressed and drawn up in the formation of the jaws is accommodated. The rail seat is also well supported by the chair jaws and the sides of the sleeper giving great strength. The undulated formation also enables the sleeper to grip the bed and prevent lateral displacement and this effect may be enhanced by giving the sleeper a dished or fish-tail form at the ends. The sleeper may be formed without the news sity of making holes of any kind in the body or in the chair devices. The hollowedchair devices are suitably formed of the normal width or shape obtaining withv cast-iron chairs as used with wooden sleepers, so that keys of the type or length used with castiron chairs may be employed for securing the rails- A further advantage of making the chairs of the normal dimensions stated and in the manner described is that the sleeper may be produced from a moderate and customary width of bar, which can be readily rolled by the usual bar rolling mills. Economy in manufacture is thus obtained and special machinery is not required. Moreover, owing to the moderate width of bar, thick material may be used without excessive total weight of sleeper, this giving increased resistance to corrosion, with correspondingly increased life. The sleepers may be constructed to take any of the usual forms of rails. These may be seated directlyon the sleeper or on resilient pads or metal plates laid on the bottom of the chair spaces and may be secured by means of wooden or other suitable keys. The inner chair projections may be pressed inwardly to form noses for engaging the rails to preserve the correct gauge, or the rails may be secured properly in the chairs by means of distance pieces or cradle devices inserted between the inner chair projections and the r.

rails. These cradles ordistance pieces may be flanged or recessed for co-operating with the chair projection to prevent longitudinal displacement of these devices.

In order to enable the invention to be readily understood reference will be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating several practical examples of construction for carrying the invention into effect in which drawings Figure 1 is an elevation with parts in section of one construction in accordance with these improvements.

Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4; 5 and 6; 7 and 8; 9 and 10; 11 and 12; and 13 and 14; are sectional elevations and plan views respectively of modified constructions and Figure 5a is a sectional elevation and Figure 15 is a plan view of further modifications.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a is a pressed steel or iron sleeper of inverted trough section having fish-tailed or other desired ends 6, and suitably undulated sides 0 and undulated base edge 0. The sleeper is also formed in the pressing with appropriate hollow upstanding chair projections e. As seen, there are bulges in the sides of the sleeper on either side of the plane of the rails 7 presenting shallow undulations of the sides so that the body of the sleeper is strong and the rail seat is well supported by the chair jaws and the sides of the sleeper. The rails f are seated on the bottom of the spaces between chair projections (Z c and are suitably supported for the preservation of the correct gauge. As shown this may be accomplished by pressing the inner chair formations 0 so that they have inwardly extending noses 6 adapted for engaging the webs 7 of the rails f just beneath the heads f of the latter, the rails being secured by means of 1wooden keys 9 or by means of steel or metal zeys.

According to the modified construction shown in Figures 3 and 4 instead of forming the inner chair projections with noses the rails f are secured correctly in the chairs by means of steel distance pieces h inserted between the webs f and the inner chair projections e of the pressed steel sleeper a. These distance pieces 7?, are advantageously applied just beneath the heads f of the rails. The distance pieces are preferably formed so that each has a hollow part or recess 77 designed to engage the upper part of an inner chair projection 6 whereby the distance pieces are prevented from longitudinal displacement and are locked in position when a wooden or steel wedge or key 9 is driven in on the outer side of the rail between the web f and the outer chair projection d If desired the distance pieces k may be of hard wood instead of steel.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6 the sleeper a is formed With chair projections d c as in the preceding construction and distance pieces h adapted for engaging the web f just beneath the head f of a rail 7, are formed with a downward extension 7L2 and the lower part of this extension is interposed between the foot f of the rail 7 and the vertical wall or surface 6 of the inner chair projection 6 The distance piece may be recessed at e as in Figure 3. The rail f may be seated upon a layerof hard fibre j or other resilient packing. Or a metal soleplate of suitable shape laid upon the bottom of each chair formation may be employed for seating the rails. If desired the distance pieces extended as aforesaid may be further extended and bent at right angles for taking beneath the foot of the rail as in Figure 511, so that the latter is both distanced and seated by the aid of such distance pieces and the packing may be dispensed with.

According to a further modification illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 cradle devices or liners is are inserted into the chair spaces provided by the upstanding chair projections d e pressed from the sleeper a. The devices it are externally flanged at It" to engage positively with the chair formations d e for the purpose of preventing longitudinal displacement. The cradles or liners may also be formed at one side with projections adapted to engage the inner surface of the web f of the rail just beneath the head so that separate pieces may be dis pensed with and any required tilt given to the rails.

It will be understood that the improved pressed metal sleepers with integral chairs may be adapted for the support of any form of rail including the standard bull-head rail as described in the preceding examples or for the various flat bottom rails as will be described in the following examples.

Thus as shown in Figures 9 and 10 the chair space between a pair of chair projections 03 e of the sleeper a, may be increased to suit the increased width of the bottom f of a fiat-bottomed rail. The distance piece 7L recessed at 2' for preventing longitudinal displacement, may also be of increased width and formed with a downward extension 7t and a bent part 71, engaging over the bottom inner flange f of the rail, whilst the head 71, of the distance piece engages with the web 7 of the rail just beneath the head. The bottom f of the rail may be seated on pads j of fibre or other resilient material.

According to a further construction suitable for securing flat bottomed rails and as shown in Figures 11 to 14-, the hollowed chair projections (Z c are only pressed up from the sleeper a for a short distance above the rail bottom. The projection or jaw e engages the inner flange f of the rail bottom, the rail being secured by means of steel keys Z inserted between the projection Ll and the outer flange of the rail bottom. If desired two keys may be used, one on each side of the flange of the rail, or a key may be used on one side and a distance piece on the other. In Figures 13 and 14 the sloping faces m of the pressed up jaws (Z c are flat. In Figures 11 and 12 however these jaws are formed with a central strengthenin ridge or web a which provides a hollow formation.

Any satisfactory method of securing the rails may be adopted, such as either of the methods or any combination of the methods described herein. The sleeper-chair would be pressed to desired size, shape, or weight, in accordance with the wheel loads and gauge of rail track tov be dealt with. The chair portionof the sleeper would be pressed to a size, form or shape suitable to accommoe date the ype and weight of rail adopted and to hold the rail at any required tilt. The gap 0 through the chair may be narrower at the top than at the bottom if desired a. siown in Figure 1, for example. Any necessary rail tilt may be obtained by pressing each end of the sleepers to the required inclination as shown for example in l igures 11 to let. Alternatively the sleepers may be pressed straight and the tilt obtained by pressing the chair jaws or projections to a suitable formation. The outer jaws of the chairs may also be pressed inwards at the top' so that the inner face inclines towards the centre line of the rail, thereby making the space for the key 9 nan rower at the top than at the bottom, so preventing any tendency for the rail f and key 9 to rise out of the chair. By means of suitable identations on the mandrils for pressing the chair aws, the inner faces of the outer jaws may be striated to embed into the wooden keys 9 thereby securing them against creepin or as shown in Figure 15, outer chair projections or aws. 12 may be pressed with their inner faces inclined to a plane containing the rails f so as to form a tapering 7 space 0 between the rails and the aws. The

key 9 is driven in at the narrow end 0 of each space and the key after being driven in can expand or swell in the wider end 0 of the space, thus preventing creeping. By the use of keys 9 and distance pieces 72. h h of alternative thicknesses the gauge of the rail track may be slightly altered where this is required.

An important advantage of this invention is that it provides a successful and economical iron or steel sleeper. The pressing. of sleeper and chair free from holes in one integral and homogeneous piece of ductile metal such as mild steel results in a structure which is inherently strong and is less liable to fracture than the brittle cast iron chairs which have been used in some countries with wooden sleepers. Moreover, as the sleeper may be formed without any holes or slots any tendency to formation of cracks from such holes may be entirely eliminated, and thereby the life and reliability of the sleeper considerably increased. Further, as there need be no loose parts other than the wooden keys, any noise or resonance due to slackening or bad fitting of several parts is eliminated. In addition the periodical inspection, tightening and securing of bolts, spikes, and other iittings is dispensed with, and once the steel sleeper has been bedded it need never be disturbed.

In the fixing of the rail, the advantage is obtained that the rail is not secured at the foot only, but it may also be secured and supported well up near the head, thus preserving the accuracy of the gauge, which is automatically fixed when the sleepers are pressed and cannot be impaired by the faulty fixing of numerous separate-fittings. If desired, the underside of the chair jaws may be filled in with concrete or other material. Also holes may be provided in the chair formation or the sleeper, adjacent to the rails, through which the packing may be consolidated by tamping if required.

he life of a pressed-steel sleeper-chair is much longer than that of a wooden sleeper, and worn out steel sleepers have a considerable value as scrap metal, whereas worn out wooden sleepers have practically no value at all.

1 claim j 1. In a pressed metal sleeper comprising a body of inverted trough section formed with integral hollowed rail-chair devices pressed upwardly above the top surface of the sleeper and having undulated sides and base edges in the regionof such chair devices, the provision of cradles or liner de vices inserted in the chair-spaces and adapted for receiving and seating the rails and flanges on said cradle or liner devices to engage the sides of the chair devices.

2. In a pressed metal sleeper comprising a body of inverted trough section formed with integral hollowed rail-chair devices pressed upwardly above the top surface of the sleeper and having undulated sides and base edges in the region of such chair dc vices, and provided with inner chair forma tions spaced from each other a smaller distance than the width of the rails, and the provision between these chair formations and the rails of distance pieces which are constructed with flanges to engage the sides of the chair formations to prevent longi tudinal displacement thereof. 7

3. In a pressed metal sleeper comprising a body of inverted trough section formed with integral hollowed rail-chair devices pressed upwardly above'the top surfaceof the sleeper and having undulated sides and base edges in the region of such cha ir devices, and provided with inner chair formations spaced from each other a smaller distance than the width of the rails, and the provision between the chair formations of cradles or liner devices which are adapted for receiving and seating the rails and have flanges to engage the sides of the chair to mations in a manner to preclude longitudinal displacement thereof.

4. In a pressed metal sleeper comprising a body of inverted trough section formed with integral hollowed rail-chair devices pressed upwardly above the top surface of the sleeper and having undulated sides and base edges in the region of such chair devices, and provided with inner chair formations spaced from each other a smaller distance than the width of the rails, and the provision between said inner chair formations and the rails of distance pieces having a downward extension interposed. between the feet of the rails and such inner chair formations and a further extension situated beneath the feet of the rails for seating the latter.

5. A pressed metal sleeper comprising a body of inverted trough section formed integrally and without perforation of the sleeper, with rail-chair devices comprising rail seats substantially level with the top surface of the body and hollowed jaws or lugs pressed upwardly above the top surface of said body and of a narrower width than said rail seats, and bulges in each side of said body in the region only of said jaws or lugs.

6. A pressed metal sleeper comprising a body of inverted trough section formed in tegrally and without the perforation of the sleeper, with rail-chair devices comprising rail seats substantially level with the top surface of the body and hollowed jaws or lugs pressed upwardly above the top surface of said body and of a narrower width than said rail seats, bulges in said body on each side in the region only of said jaws or lugs and an upwardly and downwardly undulated base edge over the extent of said bulges.

7. A pressed metal railway sleeper comprising a body of inverted trough section, formed with rail seats substantially level with the top surface of the body and with integral hollowed rail-chair formations pressed upwardly above the top surface of the sleeper so as to present local projections only on each side of said rail seats, these projections being of narrower width than said rail seats and the inner chair projections being nosed to engage the rails, and said body having bulges in its sides on either side of the vertical plane of the rails, upwardly and downwardly undulated base edges in the region of said chair projections and dished or fish-tail shaped ends.

8. A pressed metal sleeper comprising a body of inverted trough section formed integrally and without perforation of the sleeper, with rail-chair devices comprising rail seats substantially level with the top surface of the body and hollowed jaws or lugs pressed upwardly above the top surface of said body of a narrower width than said rail seats, and so that the outer jaws or lugs have their inner face inclined to the vertical plane of the rails, bulges in each side of said body in the region only of said jaws or lugs and an upwardly and downwardly undulated base edge over the extent of said bulges.

9. A pressed metal sleeper comprising a body of inverted trough section formed integrally and without perforation of the sleeper, with rail-chair devices comprising rail seats substantially level with the top surface of the body and hollowed jaws or lugs pressed upwardly above the top surface of said body, of a narrower width than said rail seats and inclined inwardly thereof to be suitable for use as abutments for keys er wedges engaging the flange of flat bottomed rails and holding the latter in the said seats, bulges in each side of said body in the region only of said jaws or lugs, and an upwardly and downwardly undulated base edge over the extent of said bulges.

ARTHUR HOUN SELL HARVEY. 

